Spinner-wrench



E. D. ROCKWELL.

SPINNER WRENCH.

APPLICATION FILI-:D JIIIIE I6. 1919.

I @www FE1/e211? or' y', gri/jj Fac/mfg Y my invention is to EDWARD D. ROCKVJ ELL,

OF BRISTOL, CONNECTICUT.

WINNER-WRENCH.

Application filed Enne 16, 1919.

To @ZZ y'zc/tom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that I, EDWARD D. RocKwELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bristol, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented a certain new and useful Spinner-Wrench and I do hereb f declare the followin to be a full, clear, and exact description og the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

is invention relates to wrenches of the type known as spinner wrenches and more particularly to a wrench of this type which will conveniently remove a valve cap from an automobile tire. The principal object of produce a simple and efficient spinner wrench for this purpose which can be manufactured at a low cost, will be light in weight, and which will hold the cap in placerin the Vwrench while and after' spinning it offl of the threaded valve stem.

VA second object of my invention is to provide la wrench which will unfasten and hold the cap and will then pass on and unscrew the hexagonal nut which holds the valve stem in place and which may or may not, as desired, also hold the hexagonal nut after its removal.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a plan view of one form of my device;

Fig. 2 is asimilar view with the carrier plate removed;

ig. 3 is a bottom plan view;

Fig. 4 is a central section through the v same' Fig. 5 is a plan view of a modification, differing principally in that the casing is struck-up and the screws replaced by a cover or cap.

Fig. 6 is a central vertical sectional view of the modification shown in Fig. 5.

In the form illustrated in Figs.` 1 to 4, my device consists of a casing 5 having a corrugated peripheral surface 6 generally in the form of a cylinder of slight height and relatively large diameter. The base 7 of the casing is perforated as at 8 to provide a circular hole slightly larger than the outside diameter of the cap to be removed and is provided with a raised portion 9 having a hexagonal cavity 10 to receive the usual nut which holds the valve stem in place on the rim. In place of the raised portion 9 I sometimes prefer to merely provide two lugs Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 17, 1920. serial No. 304,515.

11, 11, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, these two lugs having exactly the same purpose as the complete annular raised portion 9. The walls 12 of the casing define a cavity 13 preferably of octagonal shape in plan, as best shown in Fig. 1, this chamber receiving all of the working parts of the cap removing device, this device being held within the chamber by means of two or more screws 14 which do not bind upon the carrier 15 which snugly fits within the chamber flush with the upper edge 16V of the casing, but do prevent movement of the carrier plate parallel to its axis.

The carrier plate 15 is of annular shape and has a central perforation 17 of the same size as the hole 8 in the base of the casing.

e carrier 15 carries four pins 18 which extend practically to the inner face of the base of the carrier and thereby assist in positioning the carrier. Upon each of these pins is mounted an annular roll 19 quite loosely litthe pin and having its outer peripheral edge knurled as at 20 to provide a surface which will securely grip the smooth cylindrical surface of the cap, as well as the more usual fluted configuration thereof.

At their lower ends the pins 18 position a spring 21 which extends around all four of the pins and is then bent inwardly as at 22 to extend across the openings 8 and 17, at which place the ends of the spring are preferably slightly bowed as at 23 to receive the cap. These bowed portions 23 of the spring are pressed toward each other by the normal resiliency of the metal and since the distance between the two bowed portions 23 is less y the smallest cap to be unscrewed, the spring 21 will frictionally hold a cap that is inserted in the base 7. I preferably supply a thin separating plate 25 to assist in properly positioning the rolls 19 and keeping them from contact with the spring 21 although I find I may omit this element when desired, with but little loss in efliciency.

In the form illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 I reverse the carrier plate 15 and consequently mount the spring 21 in the top of the cavity 13a instead of next to the base, and close the cavity 13;l by a. cap 28 centrally perforated as at 29 and having a down-turned flange 30 gripping the casing rugated as at 32 to provide the necessary as at 31 and being cor-V the rounded end ofthe cap with the baser-of` the carrier down, and the cap enters the hole lso extending Yintegrally grip for the hand. It will be notedthat this'cap takes the place of the screws 14e in performing the function of holding the elements locatedin the cavity against longitudinal movement, and that the carrier plate 15 rests upon the centizl shoulder of the casing.

In the modification shown in Figs. 5 and 6, I have illustrated a form that is somewhat lighter in weight and is so fashioned that the parts may be made more cheaply than Yin tne embodiment of my invention shown in the other' rgures, and for these reasons I prefer the device of this modification to the device previously illustrated,

when selling` cost has to be considered. v The casing 5a 'is a struck-up piece of metal forming the base and wall of the casing and downwardly to provide a hexagonal pipe wrench 9, thereby omitting the central orice S of the base, since the width of the hexagon is considerably greaterY than the diameter ofthe valve cap. Y

In operation, the wrench is presented to 8 and pushes aside the two -bowed portions Z3 and is then slid into contact with the four rolls, pushing these Arolls into the corners 26. Upon now turning the wrench the outer casing will move with respect to the cap, carrier, rolls and spring, all of which are stationary with respect to the valve stem. The casing of the wrench continues 'to turn freely until the rolls 19 come in contact with the edges 27 of the chamber, Where they are held by reason of the rolls being extended beyond the periphery of the carrier plate owing to their displacement 'bv the cap. Continued movement of the casing binds the capA and rolls and removes the cap from its threaded engagement. When the cap and nut are to e removed together, the Acap should first be slightly loosened from the nut and then the wrench should be pushed forward to engage the nut, after which there will be no dilii'culty in spinning both of'these parts olf together, the spring preventing the wrench from slipping vo the cap while spinning. I may insert small springs in two opposite faces of the portion 9 or 9n and so hold the hexagonal nut by friction when the latter is removed, but in my ypreferred construction only the-cap will be so held.

lVh-at I claim is: Y 1. In a wrench structure for removing valve caps, the combination with means for exerting a constant grip on the valve cap, of means for exerting a grip on the valve cap when the wrench structure is moved in one tive axial movement direction and for releasing such grip when ber housed withinl said casing preventing relative movement of rotation between theY wrench and the object to be unscrewed, and an additional member lying at an angle to the axis of the wrench and oering frictional resistance to relative axial movement of the wrench and object.

3. In a wrench structure, an outer casing having a roughened grippingsurface, means loosely kmounted within the casing for preventing relative movement of rotation lbetween the wrench and the object to be unscrewed, and an additional member oering frictional resistance to reltive' axial move-V ment of the wrench and object.`

4. In a lwrench structure, a casing having an outer grippingsur-face,

vpreventing relative movement of rotation between the casing and the object to be unscrewed, and frictionalineans also carried within said 'ca-sing for -preventing free-relaof the casing and the object.' j Y I ,Y Y

5. In a wrench structure, acasing, aplural ity lof vloosely mounted Igripping Velements adapted to receive between them an object .to be unscrewed and to bind against the casing when said Vcasing is moved to unscrew said object, and an additionalmember coperating with said casing for gripping said object. Y

6. In a wrench structure, means for removing a threaded valve cap, means for removing a threaded valve nut, and frictional means for holding said cap during the removal of the cap and the nut.

7; In awrench structure, a casing member having a side Wall. providing afchamber and having a proj ection-extending in theopposite Adirection 'to embrace a nut, a carrier member located within the chamber and freely movable therein, fastening members for `fholding the carrier against inov'ement vfrom the chamber, a `plurality of pins mounted on said carrier member, a binding roll loosely mounted on each of said -pins and adapted to grip a valve cap when `the case member is turned with respect to said valve cap in one direction, and to release its hold 'upon theicap when the casing member is -tur'ned in lthe opposite direction, and a frictiona'l element adapted to grip the valve cap irrespective of the direction of rotation ofthe-case member.

EDWARD D. aocxwELL. 

